


Living Up To Expectations

by Averia



Series: It was Beauty... [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Relationship, Slightly Canon Related, Subliminal Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:44:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4375952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Averia/pseuds/Averia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You know I have known you for a very long time” he begun “and I always thought that Batman is better off with someone else.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living Up To Expectations

Tell me to relax, I just stare

_Maybe I don't know if I should change_

A feeling that we share

It's a shame

© Such A Shame – Talk Talk

"What do they see in you that we don’t?"

The question that had brought her to Grayson in the first place. He was the weakest link. Her father had told her often enough. She had seen it often enough.

"Bruce, Damian even Deathstroke. Two of them couldn't live without you, would not be the same without you. Two of them see incredible talent in you. How? Why?"

She had spied on him for days, watched every move he had made. It had driven her crazy that some rascal could turn her child into something he should never have become. It turned her crazy that the man she had loved would give up everything for his first son but not for her. All this played into her knowledge that Richard Grayson was the only Robin they had never deemed worthy. Ra’s was still trying to marry Nyssa to Tim. She had brought Jason back to life. Damian was her son.

He cared too much, knew too many heroes.  He had not the slicing intelligence Tim Drake possessed. He had not the rage that drove Jason Todd. He was not as efficient as Bruce Wayne. He was inconvenient. It was why they disliked him. And still, he had become Batman not Tim. He had nearly killed the Joker not Bruce.

“What a surprise Talia, anything you want me to tell Batman or Robin?” he had asked when he had woken up bound to the wall with an irritating smile on his face because the humour was not quite Tim not quite Jason. Not as subtle and not as biting. And it did not match with the heavy cowl over his face, not at all. She wanted to tear it off him. He wasn’t worthy.   

At least the smile had slowly vanished through her glare. What a relief.   

“Why are you asking me how they came to their conclusions?” he asked head tilting “I don’t know what’s going on in their heads half of the time and I gave up understanding Deathstroke a long time ago.”

“You might not be as intelligent as Drake but you sure would know what they see in you” she responded, eyes narrowed. Her only answer was a sigh.

“Alright, alright, what is this about? Do you want Bruce to marry you again? Or better yet force Tim to marry Nyssa? Perhaps it’s about Damian again? Haven’t you done enough?” 

“They will realise their mistake in time. You won’t. They won’t deny the best options they have, while you would.”

He stared through the cowl at her nearly resigned and had stopped testing the bonds while she had spoken.

“You know I have known you for a very long time” he begun “and I always thought that Batman is better off with someone else.”

Talia nearly growled at the blatant words.

“In fact I think you are a psychotic bitch” he said drily and then sighed “but that doesn’t mean you never did good things for Bruce or Damian.”

Richard stayed silent for a minute then a small smile appeared on his face as if he was remembering a fond memory. She scowled at him but did not speak.

“You were a real badass when I was young. You even were not that bad when Ra’s tested Bruce and we both were alone. I can’t believe we played cards back then. And do you remember how you singlehandedly destroyed LexCorp? Those were the times I thought you might not only live for the goals of your father.”

Talia frowned and hated the laugh escaping his throat.

“You don’t remember?” he asked head tilting again as if mocking her. But she actually did. She remembered seeing that irritating grin for the first time when the man in front of her had just been a young boy. Ra’s did not know about it, he had been out to find Batman and convince him that Robin and she had been kidnapped together while she had been watching young Richard. It had never mattered to her how young their victims were but Richard had not looked at her in hate back then, but with irritation, anger and an open childish curiosity. The combination had been rather fascinating. It had been her rebellious phase. Like the time with LexCorp, like all the other times she had genuinely helped her son and the man she loved. If they did not love her or could not hold to her standards, why should she care about loving them?

“And? What has all this got to do with you?”

“It’s an invitation” Richard said wiggling his fingers in the bounds “Stay around. I don’t know what they see in me. I don’t know why it’s suddenly important to you. You fancy yourself with a sharp mind. You might find your answer by staying. Just don’t come near Damian or Bruce.”

Talia raised a mocking eyebrow.

“Why should I stay away from them?”

Richard hummed and she heard the shackles click open. The cape flew behind him imposing like a living shadow until he stopped in front of her. She did not twitch. Bruce had not made her twitch in that getup. Someone like him would neither.

“I might not kill and Ra’s might come after me if I do something to you but don’t for a second think I will let you near them until I know what you really want. Because Talia and I swear to god, touch them and months in the hospital won’t be enough. Hiding won’t be enough because I will find you. I will find you where ever you are.”

It was the first time she had ever heard him speak out a threat. It was the first step towards understanding what being considered family by Richard Grayson meant.


End file.
